1st Sgt. Walter H. Samuelson

Parents: Bernard A. Samuelson & Anna G. Abbott-Samuelson

Siblings: 3 sisters

Home: 424 South 9th Street, Brainerd, Minnesota

Occupation: Bricklayer

Married: Ellen Samuelson

    - 2 children

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 1941 - Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

Units: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

        - 8 December 1941 - 6 January 1942 

    - Battle of Bataan

        - 7 January 1942 - 9 April 1942 

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

           - started march at Mariveles on southern tip of Bataan
           - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
           - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
               - 100 POWs packed into each boxcar
                   - those who died remain standing
           - Capas - living left cars - dead fell out of boxcars
           - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell 

POW Camps:

    - Philippine Islands:

        - Camp O'Donnell

            - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spigot for the entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate 

        - Cabanatuan #1

    - Korea

        - Jinsen

Hell Ship:

    - Tottori Maru

        - 1961 POWs put on ship

            - 500 in front hold and 1461 in rear hold

            - 5 October 1942 – POWs left Cabanatuan for Manila

            -  housed in warehouse on Pier 7

            - 7 October 1942 – POWs boarded onto Tottori Maru

        - Sailed: Manila – 8 October 1942

            - Note:  9 October 1942 - American submarine fired two

                         torpedoes at ship

                         - ship passes a mine laid by an American submarine

        - Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 12 October 1942

        - Sailed: 16 October 1942

                        -  returned to Takao

        - Sailed: 18 October 1942

        - Arrived: Pescadores Islands

            - anchored off the Pescadores Islands – same day

                        -  remained anchored for several days

            - two POWs died – buried at sea

        - Sailed: 27 October 1942

        - Arrived: Takao - 27 October 1942

            - 28 October 1942 – POWs taken ashore and bathed

        - Sailed: 30 October 1942

        - Arrived: 30 October 1942 - Makou, Pescadores Islands

        - Sailed:  31 October 1942

        - Arrived: Fusan, Korea - 7 November 1942

            - 8 November 1942 – POWs disembarked ship

            - sick POWs left behind at Fusan

            - those who recovered came to Mukden at later date

Died:

    - 7 December 1942 - dysentery, beriberi, & diphtheria

         - white boxes contained the ashes of POWs who died were sent to Mukden

Buried:

    - Fort Snelling National Cemetery - Minneapolis, Minnesota

        - Section:   A-2   Site:  242

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